This is the bomb. And I am diffusing it. If I am not absolutely careful, it will go off. The collateral damage: non-stop crying in the wee hours of the morning.You see, Vera is having a bad bout of congestion. It's so bad she can't breathe properly and keeps getting rudely awakened in the night. The sleep deprivation drives her crazy (and us as well). She cried, for the first time, for 5 hours non-stop last night from 3-7am.
Tonight, mommy is on a mission to prevent a repeat of last night. The task:
1) Manually suction Vera every 5 minutes or when necessary. The challenge: Suctioning may wake her up; Not suctioning leads to blockage and she will wake up.
2) Wipe Vera's sweat. The challenge: Touching her in any way may wake her up. Not wiping makes her uncomfortable and she may wake up.
3) Feed Vera before she gets hungry and wakes up. The challenge: If the timing is wrong and she's not in deep sleep, feeding may wake her up. Feeding also tends to cause increased secretions, which will increase the need to suction.
The bomb diffuser sneaks up on the bomb with rubbery bulb in hand. The aim has to be just right. Straight into the nostril and out with green snot in tow in no more than a split second. The light is dim; my eyes strain as I hone in on the target. At which point Vera starts to turn left-right-left, trying to clear her blocked nose. Follow the moving target. Aim...bingo.
It's 3am and I've been on suction duty for 4 hours. Another 4 more hours to go. If you ask me, this beats 4 hours of crying anytime.
15 comments:
You are living my life, now. Do you drizzle saline solution in her nostrils? We buy gallons of that stuff (though I hear you can make it yourself). It loosens whatever needs suctioning, and helps rinse it out, and Mallorie is so used to it that she LIKES that part. If I say, "Just a little bit of saline," she stops that left-right-left thing and waits for me to do it, then smacks her lips! I guess she's used to when she had the big clefts, and tasted most of it? Anyway, makes our suctioning go easier.
Do you leave her tube attached to her tummy while she is sleeping? Makes it easier to feed without waking up the baby at night.
connie
Yes we use the saline if it's thick and gooey but not if it's already dripping.
as for the tube, we don't leave it attached cos she'd most likely rub at it in her sleep...she can 'see' with her eyes closed. ;)
you are the greatest mother...jia you.
you are seriously amazing! staying awake, wiping sweat, suctioning, and feeding to ensure your lil baby sleeps comfortably? have you sent in your application for sainthood? i think you might be a shoe-in!
kaiya senses the "disturbance in the force" when someone else is awake in the house and since she is such a good sport, she figures she might as well be awake with them...
as for suctioning her while she sleeps...our machine is loud and obnoxious - and waaayyy too tickly. kaiya kind of likes having it done though, she giggles :)
wish it were ticklish for Vera! tell me how you got her to like such a horrible thingie...
I agree with the sainthood thing. Praying that you had a better night. Don't you have the Bard button or am I getting mixed up. That is much harder to leave in at night due to the fact that it doesn't lock. Trust me you will wake with a bed full of formula.
I also wanted to tell you about the sleep study Annabel had that there was no beeping noise. Probably the best sleep I ever had! I actually was wondering if they rent the rooms by the night with the attendant. Then I can rest while she is watching.
So hoping that Vera gets over this congestion. by the way a few of us are enjoying you being at home as we know Vera is the most excited!
Good for you May, to have found such a humorous way of expressing what must be so exhausting.
If we kind find a way to laugh at all of challenges life would be so much easier.
Thank you for sharing your night times and I do hope that things get easier very quickly for you!!!
Barb
Hope you can catch some sleep when there are help in the day... Hang on there! Not easy to adjust to this new role.... You're doing fine!!
Jamine
Hi May! thank you for visiting my blog. I emailed you after reading your thoughts on my blog. Hope you have received it.
You are doing a great job in watching over Vera ... and humorous too.
I suspect she's on Pediasure? I switched Jonathan to Karihome goat milk because Pediasure really gave him loads of secretion even when he's not having a flu. Now I supplement with vitamins just to keep him going.
Perhaps you might want to get Olbas Oil from the pharmacy. It's euculyptus and if you put one or 2 drops on a hanky put it near Vera, it might clear her nose a little and she'll sleep better. I use that whenever Jonathan has stuffy nose.
Email me...I'm online quite frequently.
Keep well and rest whenever Vera is sleeping!
Yes, Olbas Oil is very helpful for stuffy noses. Recommended by many moms. Much more effective than vicks.
She's on Nan 2 now, but I wonder if I should switch to Pediasure cos she's not gained any weight for 4 months!
You didn't get my email? Maybe it went to the spam folder. I'll resend.
I think it's good to check with a dietitian at the hospital. They will advise you on how much to give, what is good etc. I've been with them at KK for many years and have gained alot from their advice.
Hope this helps.
Yeah...no kidding. Been there. I've heard about your beautiful baby from Cathy, Annabel's mom. Glad to finally see her.
Brenda Botts
Just stopping to check in on Vera. Was hoping to find her up and feeling better. Praying nothing serious has set in.
Also, I think I needed a laugh for the day and was hoping to find a new humorous post for mommy! No pressure, though!
way to go with the mucus patrol! Prayers that Vera will get past this round quickly and that everyone will get much needed sleep!
You sound like a stealth bomber pilot! Who knew staying home could possibly be so challenging and fun!
Hang in there, Vera will be less congested soon!
Praying for rest for you, sweet mom!
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